Jessica Blough

San Francisco

masters student @ucbsoj associate editor @altajournal ☀️ once @asmeinterns @tuftsdaily @scoutsomerville @scoutcambridge @reportmorocco

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Articles

San Francisco public media would be eviscerated by Trump’s proposed cuts

4 days ago | missionlocal.org | Jessica Blough

The latest round of proposed federal cuts to public media could eliminate $30 million annually in funding already budgeted for San Francisco public media like KQED and KALW. The San Francisco-based Independent Television Service would lose 86 percent of its funding for the next two years if Congress approves the proposed rescissions. Others would lose from 7 to 10 percent of their funding.
SFDocFest highlights struggling taxi drivers in 'Taken For A Ride'

1 week ago | missionlocal.org | Jessica Blough

When Marcelo Fonseca began driving a cab in 1989, he memorized a map of San Francisco and could recall the location of any street without assistance. Seeking a stable income with plenty of socialization, he applied for a medallion from the city, then slowly climbed a 15-year waitlist. But within a year of receiving his medallion in 2009 — and the stability it brought — the cab industry would dramatically change. “I was probably the very best cab driver you could get out there. I understood my job.
The artist who decorates Mission streets with chalk dragons

1 week ago | missionlocal.org | Jessica Blough

On a clear May day, Nikolas Larson surveyed the intersection of Shotwell Street and 25th Street, a bit disappointed. It was too windy to chalk. Since 2010, when he moved to the Mission, this corner of the neighborhood has been his “outdoor studio:” A place where he comes to create about once a week. “This is just the nearest good sidewalk from where I live,” he said.
10 New Books for March

Feb 28, 2025 | altaonline.com | Jessica Blough |Maisie Hurwitz

Books10 New Books for March10 New Books for MarchThis month, we’ve got our eyes on The Pacific Circuit, Coastal: 130 Recipes from a California Road Trip, The Dream Hotel, and seven other titles from authors of and on the West. 1THE ANTIDOTE, BY KAREN RUSSELLKnopfA Prairie Witch, the witch’s apprentice, a farmer, and a scarecrow. These are not the characters of an L.
Sara Sligar’s “Vantage Point” portrays a cursed family

Jan 20, 2025 | altaonline.com | Jessica Blough

Sara Sligar begins her second novel, Vantage Point, in the depths of the ocean, as a character is in the middle of drowning. It’s a warning that we have entered a sinister territory. Then the scene shifts to land, where we meet siblings Teddy and Clara Wieland. Teddy, the older, appears to be the voice of responsibility; he became his sister’s guardian after their parents died. Clara has been in and out of eating disorder rehabs and has a history of drug use and hallucinations.
The Northern California Lit Scene's Female Leaders

Dec 24, 2024 | altaonline.com | Jessica Blough

San Francisco Bay Area women are leading a thriving post-COVID literary scene.
A Snapshot of Its Vibrant Melting Pot

Dec 18, 2024 | altaonline.com | Jessica Blough

If the state of California was made up of 10 people, 4 would be immigrants and about 6 would be people of color. The median age would be around 38. The state has one of the country’s most diverse populaces, with the highest percentage of immigrants—in 2022, they numbered 10.4 million people, or about 27 percent of the population.
Introducing Rachel Khong’s Debut Novel ‘Goodbye Vitamin’

Nov 26, 2024 | altaonline.com | Jessica Blough

It’s difficult to write about dementia without being depressing. Dementia pulls at the very fabric of what holds us together. It makes strangers of family and friends. It rips lifetimes away in stealth, reversing the passage of time. How deeply sad it is to experience this kind of loss—the disappearance of a life while still living it. The sadness, which may have different tones, seems remarkably uncomplicated.
10 New Books for November

Oct 31, 2024 | altaonline.com | Ajay Orona |Jessica Blough |Elizabeth Casillas

1AN IMAGE OF MY NAME ENTERS AMERICA: ESSAYS, BY LUCY IVESGraywolf PressIves’s essays address everything from her early obsession with My Little Pony to the American West and her uncle’s suicide. She thoughtfully brings together reflections about identity, family, and our current culture, offering nuanced thoughts on pain and fear and how they can transform into possibility and healing. The result is a powerful blend of memoir and criticism that leaves a lasting impression.
‘Violent Spring’: The Scene of the Crime

Oct 22, 2024 | altaonline.com | Jessica Blough

November’s California Book Club selection, Gary Phillips’s Violent Spring, is classic Los Angeles noir, full of highway drives, police and political corruption, and danger lurking around every corner. It’s also a snapshot of L.A. history, propelled by a period of the city’s past when tensions rose significantly and everyday citizens contended with how to make a place for themselves in the violent storm that was brewing.